A part of my family

Peggy King, a child sponsor since 1986, included World Vision in her estate plan so she can continue helping her sponsored children and others like them -- even after she’s gone. This is her story.

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It wasn't easy for Peggy to begin sponsoring children. As a single mother with four children of her own, she struggled to make ends meet. But when her kids saw a World Vision television special about child sponsorship, Peggy couldn't ignore their desire to help others.

"They said that they would save up every penny they had," she recalls. "So we went ahead and put a jar on the table, and they put their pennies into it. Every single month, we came up with exactly the right amount!"

As the years went on, Peggy and her family grew very close to their sponsored children. She says she will always remember their sponsored boy from Ecuador, Louis. "He had gotten an award, a medal on a yellow ribbon. He sent that medal to me. He said he wanted me to have his prized possession," says Peggy.

Her youngest child had been killed, and had won medals from the Marine Corps. When one of her other kids suggested that they send one of her son's medals to Louis, she did. "He wrote back to me and said it was his most prized possession of his whole life, and that he would keep and treasure it forever."

Peggy considers her sponsored children as family and holds them close to her heart. She's even been known to put pictures they send alongside her biological children's photos on her mantel.

She also works with World Vision to provide her children with additional gifts. "I ask my sponsored children if there is something special they are thinking about that they would need or want, and I send World Vision the money to help them get it," Peggy shares. It is no surprise that her sponsored children call her "abuelita," which means “little grandmother.”

"I am a part of their family, just like they are a part of mine," she explains.

To make sure that her sponsored children will be taken care of even when she is no longer here, Peggy decided to include World Vision in her estate plan. "I don't know when I am going to die, and I don't want my kids to go without a sponsor," she says. "The children I have now may be grown and not need me, but I will always have a World Vision child."

That is why Peggy made sure that her children and others like them will have her support, no matter what happens.

"I'm including them just like you would a part of your family," Peggy explains. “I wouldn't want them left without support," she adds.

Because she made World Vision part of her estate plan, Peggy can rest assured that her family will be taken care of beyond her lifetime.

Jessie Lester is a writer with World Vision U.S. Additional reporting by Vicki Brummond.

Read more inspiring stories of other faithful World Vision supporters who plan to continue making a difference after their lifetime. Learn how you too can use your will, living trust, retirement assets, and more to leave a legacy of hope for the world’s children.